


Go After Him

by lovesnarf (snarfette)



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, based on spoilers and pics from the club, robron reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-15
Packaged: 2019-03-17 19:27:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13665744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarfette/pseuds/lovesnarf
Summary: ‘He couldn’t take his eyes off Robert. The flashing lights of the club, the rippling movement of bodies, the pulsing beat of the music, were just distractions that he could easily ignore. Because he only had eyes for Robert.’





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> A little ficlet based on all of the glorious spoilers and pics from the club scenes. This is just my idea of how things might go.

__He couldn’t take his eyes off Robert. The flashing lights of the club, the rippling movement of bodies, the pulsing beat of the music, were just distractions that he could easily ignore. Because he only had eyes for Robert. He hadn’t even taken the time to watch Alex’s retreating form as he’d hurried away from him and out of the club, after Aaron had finally accepted the truth (that he’d known deep down all along) and told him that they’d never work. Because he only wanted Robert. After all this time, after everything they’d been through, Robert was the only one for him.

And it wasn’t Alex’s fault. He was a nice guy; he was a good man. And at some point in the future, if Aaron had kept trying, maybe he’d have loved him. But he never would’ve been _in love_ with him. Because, for Aaron, there was only Robert.

He took a few more paces, watching as Vanessa and Bernice tried to keep Robert occupied on the dance-floor. He’d caught them staring at him wide-eyed before they’d hustled Robert into action, pretending to suddenly need to dance and poor Robert had gone along with them. Maybe because he was still a little flushed and overwhelmed from the attentions of the attractive, dark-haired man that had been chatting him up at the bar.

Something had not so much snapped, but twisted uncomfortably inside Aaron at the sight of Robert looking somewhat surprised by the attentions of the stranger. Aaron almost felt the need to roll his eyes at the absurdity of it: of course Robert was going to attract attention in the club; he was clearly the most gorgeous person in the building. But the image of some random bloke flirting and eyeing Robert up, and the way Robert had looked slightly unsure of himself before smiling along with the man, had been a slap in the face for Aaron, a wake up call that he didn’t actually want Robert to move on with someone else. It had all been a ridiculous charade: him thinking he could settle with Alex; the pair of them thinking they could be just ‘friends’; the notion that he’d told Robert that at some point he’d be able to move on too. What had he been thinking?

He’d watched with a sense of dread and irrational annoyance as the man had taken Robert’s phone and obviously typed his number into his contacts before handing it back to him with a cheeky grin and a kiss on the cheek. He’d watched as Robert had smiled back and nodded along as the man had said something else before walking away. He’d watched as Robert had looked down at his phone and smiled to himself.

And he’d known. In that moment, he’d known that he couldn’t risk losing Robert forever. He didn’t want Robert accepting kisses and smiles and phone numbers from other people.

He was nearly at the dance-floor now. Vic appeared at that moment, laughing brightly, and as Robert looked in her direction, he must have realised that someone else was watching him and he lifted his head. Their eyes met and for a moment, everything else around them stopped and faded away. It seemed like one of those romance movie moments and Aaron might have rolled his eyes again at the sheer cheesiness of it, except he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Robert and he didn’t want to. He didn’t care if it was cheesy (which he’d never admit to anyone) because he just wanted Robert.

But after a moment, Robert’s startled expression turned into a frown. The confusion was obvious and after staring in surprise at Aaron across the dance-floor for a few moments, he approached him.

“What are you doing here?” he shouted across the music as he finally stood in front of him.

Aaron didn’t quite know what to say. He gaped at Robert for a moment before stuttering, “I...er...Vic said you were all coming out...so I er, thought I’d come along.”

Not looking entirely convinced, Robert frowned again. “How long have you been here?”

Again Aaron didn’t know what to say. He suddenly felt guilty about his reaction to seeing Robert being chatted up. He couldn’t reply.

“Why are you really here?” Robert asked suddenly. He looked annoyed, maybe a little hurt, even. “Because this isn’t fair, you know? You keep telling me to move on. You’ve made it perfectly clear that you’ve moved on, that you’re with Alex. And I’ve had to accept that: it’s taken me ages but I’ve been trying so hard. And Vic’s dragged me out tonight for the first time in ages and now you’re here. You’re...”

“Robert!” Aaron interrupted him. “I don’t want you to move on.” The declaration seemed simple enough. He felt like it was obvious, like Robert should just understand him and how he felt, but Robert just looked even more upset when he heard the words.

“Thanks a lot,” he shouted. “So much for being the best friend I ever had.”

Aaron’s mouth flapped open as Robert turned abruptly and stormed away from him. What had just happened? Robert had got it all wrong. He just stood there for a long moment, before Victoria appeared in front of him.

“Well, go after him then!” she yelled.

“What?” Aaron yelled back.

“Go after him! Tell him how you feel. For god’s sake, Aaron, go now before it’s too late!”

That seemed to snapped Aaron out of his trance. ‘Before it’s too late,’ echoed in his head and he rushed past Vic and headed in the same direction as Robert. 


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love feedback so please let me know what you thought. And fingers crossed for that kissing in the rain!

It was chucking it down outside when he burst out of the club and onto the street. Desperately, he scanned the people huddled underneath the canopy smoking, the people either running for shelter or staggering about laughing, not caring that they were getting soaked, and then he saw Robert, stalking off down the road with intent. His long strides carrying him away from the club in a hurry.

Aaron didn’t yell his name: he just ran after him. Robert had rounded the corner by the time Aaron caught up with him and he finally did call out to him.

Robert spun around and shook his head angrily. He was drenched: his dark shirt plastered to his body, his hair flattened against his head, droplets of water dripping down his face, and Aaron thought he looked absolutely gorgeous.

“Leave me alone, Aaron. You’re not being fair - you’re making this too hard for me.”

“Robert...” Aaron started but was cut off immediately.

“No!” Robert snapped. “I’ve tried so hard to let you go. It’s been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do but I’ve done it - for you. And just because I’ve come out tonight that doesn’t mean I’m going to be getting together with someone else - I haven’t even had chance to think about that - but I can’t do that with you always there. You aren’t being fair! You’ve moved on - I get that but I just...”

“It’s over with Alex!” Aaron shouted at him. He couldn’t listen to Robert any longer, not without telling him the truth.

Robert’s face scrunched up in confusion and disbelief. “It really looked like it when I saw you moving him in yesterday - on our anniversary of all days.”

“That’s not fair,” Aaron said with a shake of his head.

“No, it’s really not,” Robert agreed. He looked away from Aaron and down the street before he turned back to him and sighed. “Just leave it, yeah? I can’t do this.”

He made to walk away but Aaron moved around him and blocked his path. “I never thought you’d just give up,” he said angrily. He was so frustrated that Robert wasn’t listening to him, that Robert was being so stubborn in believing what he thought was going on. He just wasn’t listening, so Aaron would have to make him.

“What?!” Robert spluttered. “Give up? Are you kidding me?”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing,” Aaron told him. “You aren’t listening to me! I’ve split up with Alex! And do you know why? Do you know what reason I gave him? I told him that I can’t make any more excuses, that I miss you, and I want to be with you.”

Robert just stared at him in shock. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open slightly.

The rain was still pouring down: they were both soaked through to the skin but Aaron wasn’t going to move until Robert had listened to him. He took a step closer to Robert. “I don’t want to pretend anymore. I don’t want to ‘move on’. I want to be with you - only you.”

Robert still looked disbelieving, like he couldn’t accept what he was hearing. Aaron took another step towards him, putting himself within touching distance. And Robert was still staring at him.

“I don’t...I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Robert breathed out, his words almost unheard in the constant rain. Maybe that was what he wanted: maybe he was scared that the moment would be broken if he spoke too loudly.

They gazed at one another for a long moment, neither of them wanting to look away. But then Robert did. His eyes fell to the puddles on the pavement, like he couldn’t hold the eye contact because it was too much for him.

Stepping closer again, Aaron reached his hand out slowly, not wanting to spook Robert in any way. The moment was fragile and he couldn’t afford to mess it up now. His hand smoothed against Robert’s cheek, cupping his face. His skin was cold and wet, hardly surprising as he’d been standing out in the rain for so long, but there was a surge of warmth that rushed through Aaron at the contact.

Robert’s eyes had lifted to his again. He was gazing at Aaron with a look of wonder on his face, almost like he thought he was in some sort of beautiful dream.

Aaron brought them closer together so that their chests were almost touching and looked up at Robert. He wanted so badly to kiss him, but suddenly Robert stepped back, breaking the contact between them and crushing Aaron’s hopes.

“I can’t do this,” Robert said. “I can’t have this tonight - you telling me that you want me and that you want us to try again, that you want us to be together - only for you to change your mind again tomorrow and realise this was a mistake. I can’t go through losing you again.”

“Robert, I promise you I won’t regret this. This is the first time in ages that I’ve actually felt like I was doing the right thing, like I was doing something because I wanted to and not because I felt like I should.”

Robert still looked doubtful and so very cautious like he didn’t dare allow himself to have this.

“I want messed up forever, with you,” Aaron told him without hesitation.

And then suddenly Robert was surging forwards, taking Aaron’s face between his hands and kissing him with such desperation, such passion, that Aaron’s toes curled and he could do nothing but grab hold of Robert’s upper arms and tug him closer. Really there was nothing else he wanted to do in that moment anyway.

The rain was still hammering down on them but neither of them cared. They kissed and kissed, remembering the feel of each other, the taste of each other. Not that they could have ever forgotten, but everything they’d missed and longed for was remembered in those moments. And it was only the beginning.

‘This is where I belong,’ Aaron thought to himself and then found himself smiling into their kiss.

Robert pulled back slightly and looked at him, a little cross-eyed because they were so close, but that just added to the overwhelmed and completely contented look on his face and Aaron actually found himself laughing.

“What?” Robert murmured. They were still so close together that Aaron could feel his breath against his skin.

“I was just thinking that this is where I want to be, but obviously I didn’t really mean standing out here in the pissing down rain. It’s just...well, you know,” he trailed off.

“I know,” Robert told him softly. And he pressed another quick kiss to Aaron’s lips. “We’re not so good at the ‘friends’ thing, are we?” he said with a smile when he pulled away.

Aaron laughed and pulled Robert towards him, leaning their foreheads together, feeling Robert’s drenched hair dripping onto his skin. “I didn’t really need any more friends anyway.”

**Author's Note:**

> I’m snarfettelove on tumblr (where this is also posted) so please come and say hi or let me know what you thought of this little fic.


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